Would Heat’s Duncan Robinson accept invite to 3-Point Contest? And Bam joins Jordan Brand

As it stands currently, the Miami Heat will not be represented in any of the NBA’s All-Star events this season.

But there is a chance Heat forward Duncan Robinson could participate in the Three-Point Contest, which will be held just before the All-Star Game tips off on March 7 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Robinson said he would “probably take the opportunity” to compete in the shooting competition for the second consecutive year if he’s invited.

“If I’m invited, I’d probably take the opportunity,” Robinson said in advance of Friday night’s game against the Utah Jazz at AmericanAirlines Arena. “I’d have to wait and see. I don’t really know. To be honest with you, I haven’t heard anything on what that’s looking like. So we’ll see, I guess.”

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Robinson, 26, was eliminated in the first round of the Three-Point Contest last year in Chicago. Sacramento’s Buddy Hield won the competition, with Robinson finishing with the sixth-best first-round score among the eight participants.

The Heat has had plenty of past success in the Three-Point Contest, with Robinson going down as the eighth different Heat player to participate in the shooting event. Four different Heat players have won the competition — Glen Rice in 1995, Jason Kapono in 2007, Daequan Cook in 2009 and James Jones in 2011.

While a week-long break would be helpful during the middle of an abbreviated season with fewer off days than usual, Robinson said it would be a “privilege to be invited” to participate in the shooting contest. The All-Star break begins March 5, and the Heat opens the second half of the regular season on March 11.

Heat center Bam Adebayo also hasn’t ruled out the possibility of making an appearance in Atlanta to defend his Skills Challenge crown.

“I do understand why there would be some sort of conflicting reasons,” Robinson said of balancing the need for time off but also taking advantage of an opportunity to take part in an All-Star event. “Obviously, if you’re an All-Star, that’s a different level of privilege than maybe just being invited to the Skills or the Three-Point, which is still an honor. But yeah, you want to prioritize what’s really important. For us right now, I know it’s winning games for the Miami Heat.”

Robinson, who went undrafted in 2018, finished last regular season tied for the third-most made threes in the NBA at 270 and set a new Heat record for most made threes in a season. He also became only the second player in league history (the other is Golden State’s Stephen Curry) to finish a season with 270 or more made threes while shooting better than 44 percent from deep.

Robinson entered Friday with 107 made threes, eighth-most in the NBA, on 39.3 percent shooting from three-point range this season. Among the 10 players who have made 100 or more three this season, Robinson owns the fifth-best three-point percentage behind Brooklyn’s Joe Harris (50.9 percent), Chicago’s Zach LaVine (44 percent), Curry (41.6 percent) and Minnesota’s Malik Beasley (40.6 percent).

But lately, timely off-ball cuts to the basket have also been an important part of Robinson’s offensive package. With defenses focused on limiting his three-point looks, he has countered by darting to the basket when defenders aren’t expecting it and the paint area is empty.

Robinson made a total of seven shots at the rim off cuts to the basket during the six-game stretch leading into Friday’s matchup against the Jazz, according to NBA tracking stats. He made just three shots off cuts to the basket in the 26 games that preceded this six-game span this season.

“It definitely helps,” Robinson said. “Just kind of relief baskets. Give the defense something to think about. So it has been an emphasis. We always try to get to it, but particularly now with how teams are playing me, its something that we can get to just to kind of mix it up and give them a different look.”

ADEBAYO’S NEW DEAL

Adebayo is the newest member of the Jordan Brand family. Jordan Brand announced a new sneaker and apparel contract with Adebayo on Friday.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet, but it will soon, even just based on the simple fact that everybody knows who MJ is and what he’s done for the game of basketball,” Adebayo said in a press release issued by Jordan Brand to announce the news. “Being able to say that I’m part of the Brand makes me sit back and really cherish everything. I’m looking forward to the experience.”

Of the Jumpman logo, Adebayo said: “It represents MJ’s legacy of being a great basketball player, to the point where there’s now a Jumpman on the jerseys of teams he played against. It shows his legacy and what he did for basketball. To be a part of that is great because I get to represent that greatness. Seeing me in Jordans means a lot to the people looking up to me.”

▪ Adebayo (left knee tendinosis) and Heat guard Tyler Herro (right hip contusion) are questionable for Friday’s home game against the Jazz.

Heat guard Avery Bradley (calf strain) has been ruled out for Friday’s matchup against the Jazz. It will mark the 12th straight game that he has missed with a calf injury, as he last appeared in a game on Feb. 3.

At the time of the injury, doctors told Bradley he could return in three to four weeks, which would be at some point in the next week barring a setback or slow recovery.

Bradley and center Meyers Leonard (season-ending shoulder surgery) are the only two Heat players who have been ruled out for Friday’s game.

Heat two-way contract guard Gabe Vincent (right knee soreness) is listed as probable.